Cypress unveils 0.25-micron BiCMOS for wireless, networking ICs

SAN JOSE--Cypress Semiconductor Corp. here today disclosed the development of a new 3.3-volt, 0.25-micron BiCMOS process technology, which will be used to produce next-generation ICs for networking and high-frequency wireless communications applications.

Cypress said the double-layer metal process will allow it to efficiently integrate mixed-signal, memory, and high-speed logic circuits on a single device. The process is slated to be in production during the fourth quarter this year, and the first product using the technology will be a high-performance transceiver with speeds of 2.5 gigabits per second, said the San Jose chip maker.

"This is among the highest-performance BiCMOS process in the world," said Jose Arreola, vice president of R&D at Cypress. "With transistor frequencies of approximately 30 GHz, we have matched the performance of bipolar processes, while maintaining the density, power consumption, and versatility of 0.25-micron CMOS.

"We expect this process to expedite our progress in becoming a major player in the rapidly expanding communications market," Arreola added.

Cypress is increasing its emphasis in the data communications and telecom market segments. "More than 70% of Cypress's revenues, across all of its product lines, come from the data communications and telecommunications markets," said T.J. Rodgers, president and CEO of the company. "Lucent/Ascend, NorTel/Bay Networks, Cisco Systems, 3Com, Alcatel, EMC, and NEC, are among our largest accounts, and as a result we understand the needs of these businesses," Rodgers added.

In addition to high-frequency wireless ICs, the new BiCMOS process will be used to produce high-speed physical-layer devices for wired networks. Cypress said it plans to launch new products with reusable mixed-signal and analog design blocks that are being created for the BiCMOS technology. The new BiCMOS process is compatible with the company's existing SRAM technology, making it easier to mix and match intellectual property (IP) blocks in new products, according to Cypress.